"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know.

We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. 

But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know."

While you may not like his politics, this famous quote from Donald Rumsfeld preceding the US invasion of Iraq perfectly sums up the dilemma faced by business owners today.

People are punch drunk from 5 years of relentless financial destruction of the world’s capital markets. Meanwhile, technology, and especially the digitisation of the world, has seen the pace of change of commerce reach incomprehensible pace. Is it any wonder business managers are floundering?

Challenger brands are making the most of this time of change to gain an advantage over competitors

Many business owners still think they can wait things out until things return to “normal.” What they don't know is the new model for success demands the ability to try new things, quickly and often.

Renee Todres heads a team of digital specialists at Tipping Point that have been helping businesses transform often complex transactions with their customers into simple ones. From BT to Elle Bache, once complicated business processes are being replaced with simple, intuitive interactions that make customers feel in control. Renee makes a wonderful observation –
"to learn you need to listen to yourself less."

Tipping Points approach is to add value by finding new insights. One way to succeed today is to recognise the limitations of your known knowns. Then seek out specialists that can help you discover the unknown unknowns. Get to know the ones that can help improve your position against your competition. And have the confidence to act on those new insights knowing the biggest threat to businesses today is business as usual. The Aussie attitude that she’ll be right now almost certainly guarantees failure.

I'm not suggesting spending all your energies on research. We’ve all seen managers fall into the paralysis by over-analysis trap. Too much data can actually hinder making effective business decisions. According to IBM’s 2012 global survey of 1700 CEOs, asking customers what matters to them is now more useful than financial analysis.

"Of course we need information and insight, but what we need most is the capability to act on it."
Unit head, Government, Hong Kong

In the words of Boston Consulting, today in business “the spoils go to the nimble.” We have found our challenger brand clients are winning by trying new and interesting things, fast and often. In the past you needed big budgets and big balls to try something different. There are now technologies that allow marketers to test new strategies while limiting financial risks.

As Renee and other niche specialists have shown me, it’s surprising how much there is to know that the big brands don’t, simply because they aren't looking.